md_green_gardenerwikiaorg-20200214-history
Help:Introduction
Getting Started as a Green Gardener You may have gotten to this page for a variety of reasons. 'If you're in Maryland (or nearby) and want to tend outdoor spaces in your care in a way that will have a better environmental impact, this wiki is for you.' It's also very new, so if at first you can't find what you need, please come back soon and see what's grown. Where to start If you're not sure where to start, here are some resources: *'New': If you're new to gardening or just got your own yard and have little gardening or yard-tending experience, visit our page. *'Experienced with conventional garden/lawn care': If you've gardened, mowed, and generally done the expected yard-care stuff but would like to make some changes to be a better steward of the environment, visit our page. *'Experienced green gardeners:' If you're anywhere from a knowledgeable novice to an expert on how to make your garden have a better impact, there are a few things you can do here. They include: **'Look up plants'. You can use the search bar at the top of the page with a common or scientific name. You can also browse plants by category. **'Add documentation to plant articles'. Hundreds of plants are being added to this Wiki directly from USDA data, but: ***Not all plants that should be here are here yet, and you can learn . ***Many plants are Article Stubs. You can add pictures, additional common names, etc. ***On specific plant pages, add nurseries from which you know they can be procured. **'Add articles (or to articles) about things OTHER than plants.' Expand this Wiki through tutorial pages, research pages, resource lists, nursery pages, and whatever other helpful thing you can think of. **'Get inspired.' If you're satisfied that your first green gardening projects are in a good place and would like to take on more, look for inspiration on our page. What to Document Here This Wiki was started in May, 2019 - and is still very new. Your help in building it up would be amazing! Vision/Goals The hope is that this Wiki will help Maryland gardeners in the following ways: *Establish a searchable database of plants they may encounter, for good or ill. *Understand plants' effect on the local environment by categorizing these plants according to their impact. *Summarize related''' research.' *Document relevant '''gardening methodologies and practices' (such as lawn replacement, rain gardens, Bay-Wise Gardens, food gardening, rain barrels, composting, and more). *'List trusted resources for gardeners' trying to make more environmentally sound gardens in the state of Maryland and nearby, from nurseries to UMD Extension Programs. Factual Standards and Courtesy Whenever possible, please cite an expert source, research, or data to back up whatever contributions you make to this Wiki. We won't be as strict as Wikipedia, say, but if you have anecdotal know-how, you can probably Google a source to back it up. Also be mindful of separating the standard to which you have chosen to hold your land stewardship from what is attainable to everyone and do not use this space to state something is right or wrong. Feel free, however, to show evidence of things that are harmful or helpful. This Wiki is bound to draw opinionated folks - if we weren't at least a little opinionated, greener gardening wouldn't be interesting to us - but it needs to document reliable facts and theories, and to understand that whatever small part of doing better people can manage helps, and that judgment and hostility can scare folks away from asking the questions that will help them do that. Finally, please use photos from Wikimedia Commons, another Creative Commons source, or your own work. You can use Google Images to search for images that are free to use. Purpose of this Wiki This page was established to create a knowledge base for a group of Maryland Area Environmentally-Conscious Gardeners. The below is the description of that group. : This group's mission is to connect gardeners (and interested plant and ecosystem experts) to enable us to support each other in creating more environmentally beneficial gardens and other residential area outdoor spaces. : Our primary goal is to help each other to plant more native plants, remove more noxious invasive ones, eliminate the use of harmful chemicals, create habitats for native wildlife, and consider all aspects of how we can and should change the way we use our yards and gardens in order to better serve living things and the environment we live in. : Our secondary focus is to be kind and supportive to each other, especially when we disagree. Those who join should be sincerely interested in gardening better and actively engaged in that pursuit, but they may not all share the same priorities. Discussion of which battles you're picking and why is encouraged, as is gently questioning each other and helping each other learn - but all members should come to the group with good and constructive intent, and assume it from others.